The question of political / conspiracy theory content

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(2017-08-21, 09:48 PM)Kamarling Wrote: There is going to be overlap. LSD is a "mind-altering" drug and is of interest to us here for that very reason. The CIA and their propaganda machine fall into politics/CT. To me, it is still a simple distinction.

When discussing evidence for certain psi effects, the CIA programs are bound to crop up - as they should. We need to use a modicum of common sense here - nobody is going to get a slapped wrist for talking about government psi programs. We should just be aware of the context - which is psi and not conspiracy. Is that reasonable?

So a discussion of MKULTRA and its relation to LSD and the social revolution of the 1960's and possible CIA engineering of culture WOULD be on topic for this forum. 

But I'm guessing a thread on pizza-gate would be not allowed. Because people think it's bullshit.
(2017-08-21, 09:49 PM)Sciborg_S_Patel Wrote: Seems to me people are itching to sell us on their favorite CTs and political views. Happy to play the game but just be ready for this to become a political/CT forum.

Still want to get an answer to the question if moderation of CTs will be like the nonsense Alex tolerates where people cannot offer real evidence but insist that some psychological flaw keeps people from connecting the disparate dots the same way they do.

I get the impression from some of the Skeptiko posts that proponents in the parapsychology debate should be somehow less than sceptical when it comes to Conspiracy Theories. At Skpetiko it became clear to me long ago that there were people with whom I emphatically agreed on matters related to psi but found their politics abhorrent.
I do not make any clear distinction between mind and God. God is what mind becomes when it has passed beyond the scale of our comprehension.
Freeman Dyson
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(2017-08-21, 09:49 PM)Sciborg_S_Patel Wrote: Seems to me people are itching to sell us on their favorite CTs and political views. Happy to play the game but just be ready for this to become a political/CT forum.

Still want to get an answer to the question if moderation of CTs will be like the nonsense Alex tolerates where people cannot offer real evidence but insist that some psychological flaw keeps people from connecting the disparate dots the same way they do.

So you don't see any possible relation between metaphysics and existing political systems?
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(2017-08-21, 09:59 PM)chuck Wrote: So you don't see any possible relation between metaphysics and existing political systems?

Didn't say that, but I want to know how moderation will be treat CT peddling when the evidence is sparse?

Alex banned me for some mild criticism of him while allowing people to wildly speculate on who is guilty of child rape. Is that the kind of poor moderation we should expect here as well, or is the CT overview going to be far more strict since Alex is open to even claims of OBEs spying on pedophile rings and thus makes Skeptiko the ideal CT peddler forum?
'Historically, we may regard materialism as a system of dogma set up to combat orthodox dogma...Accordingly we find that, as ancient orthodoxies disintegrate, materialism more and more gives way to scepticism.'

- Bertrand Russell


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(2017-08-21, 09:59 PM)chuck Wrote: So you don't see any possible relation between metaphysics and existing political systems?

I see metaphysics in relation to absolutely everything. Again, it depends on whether you want to discuss metaphysics or politics. There are plenty of places to discuss politics. If you want to use metaphysics as a wedge to open the forum for political debate, then I'm not interested in taking part in such a forum.
I do not make any clear distinction between mind and God. God is what mind becomes when it has passed beyond the scale of our comprehension.
Freeman Dyson
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(2017-08-21, 10:03 PM)Sciborg_S_Patel Wrote: Didn't say that, but I want to know how moderation will be treat CT peddling when the evidence is sparse?

Alex banned me for some mild criticism of him while allowing people to wildly speculate on who is guilty of child rape. Is that the kind of poor moderation we should expect here as well, or is the CT overview going to be far more strict since Alex is open to even claims of OBEs spying on pedophile rings and thus makes Skeptiko the ideal CT peddler forum?

So maybe we just say that the threshold for evidence should be elevated. But shouldn't that threshold be upheld across the board? Do people get to claim that NDEs DEFINITELY occur when the brain is "dead"? No one can prove that and anyone with any sense knows it. I doubt anyone is going to ban you here for asking for more evidence.
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(2017-08-21, 10:09 PM)Kamarling Wrote: I see metaphysics in relation to absolutely everything. Again, it depends on whether you want to discuss metaphysics or politics. There are plenty of places to discuss politics. If you want to use metaphysics as a wedge to open the forum for political debate, then I'm not interested in taking part in such a forum.

I don't want political debate. I mean if you really want to ban something, ban discussion of global warming. I just think it is ridiculous to think that you are going to have a forum entirely devoted to psi (and I assume everything related to psi) and there isn't going to be any discussion of politics or conspiracy theory.
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(2017-08-21, 10:03 PM)Sciborg_S_Patel Wrote: Didn't say that, but I want to know how moderation will be treat CT peddling when the evidence is sparse?

Alex banned me for some mild criticism of him while allowing people to wildly speculate on who is guilty of child rape. Is that the kind of poor moderation we should expect here as well, or is the CT overview going to be far more strict since Alex is open to even claims of OBEs spying on pedophile rings and thus makes Skeptiko the ideal CT peddler forum?

What about discussions of bigfoot or other cryptids? Pretty far out. Not a lot of physical evidence. Allowed? Not allowed? Fairies? Trolls?
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(2017-08-21, 10:14 PM)chuck Wrote: I don't want political debate. I mean if you really want to ban something, ban discussion of global warming. I just think it is ridiculous to think that you are going to have a forum entirely devoted to psi (and I assume everything related to psi) and there isn't going to be any discussion of politics or conspiracy theory.

I don't know how many different ways I can say this. If the subject has an interesting metaphysical component - such as the evidence for psi obtained by the CIA - then it is certainly in context here. But if the purpose of introducing the CIA experiments is to shift the discussion to the political aims of the CIA and then on to the possible conspiracy surrounding the program, then the context has been ignored.
I do not make any clear distinction between mind and God. God is what mind becomes when it has passed beyond the scale of our comprehension.
Freeman Dyson
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(2017-08-21, 10:20 PM)Kamarling Wrote: I don't know how many different ways I can say this. If the subject has an interesting metaphysical component - such as the evidence for psi obtained by the CIA - then it is certainly in context here. But if the purpose of introducing the CIA experiments is to shift the discussion to the political aims of the CIA and then on to the possible conspiracy surrounding the program, then the context has been ignored.

Cutting some pretty fine slices of cheese there, Tad.

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